MANILA, 14 June 2007 — One game doesn’t a series make, the old cliché says. But in one so short like the PBA Fiesta Cup quarterfinals, a victory like this one may have done the job.

Barangay Ginebra picked San Miguel’s heart out last night and put an emphatic end to what was dubbed as a close game, cruising to a 113-87 victory, which may have destroyed whatever confidence is left in the Beermen.

Rod Nealy scored 27 points and the Gin Kings converted on 14-of-38 attempts from three-point range to play with complete command all night and not let the Beermen into the contest.

“I think they just lost some emotion in their win over Coca-Cola,” explained Ginebra’s Jong Uichico, when asked to comment on the easy win. “We had the emotion coming into this game and I think that was key.

“They need to come out hard on Friday (for Game 2) and we need to match their intensity,” he added. Former Most Valuable Player Johnny Abarrientos and Sunday Salvacion hit four triples each, with Salvacion hitting three straight to open up the fourth period which quelled the last San Miguel rally.

Those treys actually touched off a 21-7 run which padded a 77-66 third quarter lead to 98-73 entering the final 5:25. Egay Echavez also had a triple and the Kings held the Beermen scoreless in a 4:18 span which told heavily.

And when he was asked if he felt that San Miguel would still have the character to come back from such a loss, Uichico tried to downplay what he had just accomplished.

“Yes, because I used to handle that team and I know the players,” he said. “But I put that (attachment to some players) behind me now. I have a job to do here, and that is to win games.” Galen Young scored 18 points in 39 minutes for San Miguel, which only got two players scoring in twin digits as two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso was held to just eight markers and Olsen Racela six.

Alaska Milk, which has won all of its three collisions with the Kings in this tournament, is waiting in the wings in the semifinals. The Aces and Red Bull qualified to the Final Four outright after topping the eliminations.

Air21 also drew first blood in its separate pairing with Talk ‘N Text, breaking away in the third period for a 121-102 bombardment of the Phone Pals in the first game.

Wynne Arboleda drilled in 22 points and Nino Canaleta tossed in 11 of his 21 in the third period to anchor a swashbuckling 38-point effort by the Express that broke the game wide open.

From 57-63 at the start of the third, the Express defense also held the Phone Pals to just 16 third quarter points as Air21 took a 95-79 lead into the fourth period and was never threatened from there.

“The last time I checked, it was a best-of-three (series),” Air21 coach Bo Perasol said. “There’s still no reason for us to be overjoyed at this point, because if there’s any team that can come back, it’s Talk ‘N Text.” The winner here will advance to face well-rested No. 1 seed and defending champion Red Bull in a best-of-seven semifinal series.

Before this game, Air21 was the only team that failed to shoot more than 50% from the field to end a game. And because things were going so well on both ends, the Express ended up making 55% of their shots.

There were a total of six players in double figures for Perasol, with Canaleta going on to finish with 21 before limping out of the floor because of a slight left ankle sprain. Canaleta was rushed to a nearby hospital after the game for tests.

“We hope that it’s not that serious,” added Perasol, who already lost leading local scorer Gary David to an ACL tear near the end of the elimination round.

Flashy import JJ Sullinger led Talk ‘N Text with 22 points, 11 of them coming in the opening period when the Phone Pals played with so much fluidity But he was effectively taken out of the offensive rotation when the telling run came.

“It’s crucial that we were able to shut down (JJ) Sullinger,” Perasol said. “That told a lot on the result (of the game) because everything (in the Talk ‘N Text) offense revolves around Sullinger.”